Ottawa’s Transport Planners Must Not Overlook Non-Drivers, Say Advocates

This is a reprint of an article published April 2, 2025 by The Energy Mix, an Ottawa-based community news site and e-digest on climate change, energy, and the shift off carbon (see original post here). It is reprinted here with the permission of the organization. You can read more articles by The Energy Mix, and sign up for their newsletter, by following this link.

Canada’s capital must break out of its “car-centric status quo” to better serve non-drivers—especially those who live outside the core, say mobility advocates.

As Ottawa enters the final phase of consultations on its transportation plan, the city must prioritize this overlooked group—which includes seniors who no longer drive, differently-abled young people seeking options beyond downtown, and children eager to bike to their destinations, among others, write Anna Zivarts and Cassie Smith, in a recent op-ed for the Ottawa Citizen.

Zivarts, a low-vision parent, non-driver, and author of When Driving Is Not an Option and Smith,EnviroCentre’s strategic lead for transportation demand management, urge Ottawans to speak up for the needs of non-drivers, wherever they live. Zivarts was in town last week as the keynote speaker at EnviroCentre’s annual symposium, Connecting the Dots on Transit (for which Energy Mix Productions was media sponsor).

“The next time you hear about a road widening or a transit budget cut, ask: How does this affect non-drivers?” they write. “If decision-makers aren’t considering them, demand that they do.”

“Push for a transportation system that works for everyone, not just those with a car.”

The limited perspective of car-focused planners is the biggest problem, Zivarts and Smith say, adding that any efforts to reduce car-dependency tend to prioritize urban neighbourhoods—neglecting non-drivers in the suburbs and outlying rural areas.

And there are many such people: 27% of Ottawans don’t have a driver’s licence. That makes a securely funded public transportation system an absolute priority, they write.

“There needs to be predictable, sustained investment in transit operations and less reliance on fares.”

Non-drivers—and everyone else—need reliable, round-the-clock transit to a range of destinations, not just to work and back, they write, adding that “last-mile” solutions must also be facilitated to get people to transit stops. These could include on-demand services, rural bus routes, and public bike-shares. Cities must also make it “safer and easier” to walk, ride, and roll in all neighbourhoods.

All of that begins with including non-drivers at every step in the transportation planning process, they write. If a budget or infrastructure project does not serve the 27% of Ottawans who don’t drive, it must be rethought.

Public consultation on capital infrastructure planning for Ottawa’s transportation master plan closes May 12.